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The housing pandemic: four graphs showing the link between COVID-19 deaths and the housing crisis
By Nathaniel Barker. Published in Inside Housing on 29 May 2020
Summary:
The four graphics are:
COVID-19 death rates versus housing overcrowding
COVID-19 death rates versus prevalence of HMOs (Houses in multiple occupations)
COVID-19 death rates versus homelessness
COVID-19 death rates versus social housing shortage
From the text of the article:
"Live in poor-quality, cramped, unsuitable accommodation and you are more likely to suffer from a wide range of illnesses, such as cancer and respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.
In 2015, that poor housing costs the NHS at least £1.4bn a year. Yet, despite the growing body of evidence, the disconnect between housing policy and health policy remains steadfast.
Now, the coronavirus pandemic – described by prime minister Boris Johnson as “the worst public health crisis for a generation” – has thrown the problems into sharp relief. With more than 37,000 people having lost their lives to COVID-19, the UK has the highest number of deaths in Europe and second-most globally.
While a myriad of factors have contributed to the high number of deaths, housing conditions are likely to have played a key part. At the start of the month, showing that poorer areas of the country have significantly higher coronavirus mortality rates."
Regulatory levels: local, national (England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland; UK), EU
Keywords: coronavirus, Covid-19, UK, housing conditions, public health, data
